Matthew O'Connor

This document provides an assessment of Lewis County's Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system, identifying critical sustainability challenges such as declining volunteerism and escalating costs. It presents actionable recommendations across three main categories: enhancing the EMS Transportation Model, ensuring Workforce Sustainability, and optimizing System Operations. The plan's overarching goal is to establish a resilient and sustainable EMS system that effectively meets the needs of residents and visitors.

The committee meeting featured a presentation on the Lewis County EMS study, which provided an overview of local emergency medical services, current challenges including volunteer staffing declines, and potential future operational models such as establishing an ambulance service through the Lewis County General Hospital. The discussion also addressed workforce sustainability, the need for a dedicated EMS coordinator, and proposed improvements to the current call triage system.

The committee reviewed the county's disaster recovery strategy, discussing risks, recovery timelines, and the migration of the ERP system to a cloud-hosted model. Planning for the Lewis County Land Bank was discussed, including legal requirements and the upcoming application process. Ten draft resolutions were reviewed and forwarded to the full Board, covering topics such as updates to the employee meal policy, migration to a new ERP platform, opposition to specific state policies and legislation affecting renewable energy, awarding a demolition contract, adding agricultural parcels to a district, infrastructure project status, scheduling a public hearing for a microenterprise program, and cable franchise tax adjustments. Additionally, the committee adopted its 2026 goals and held an executive session regarding contract renegotiation.

The committee reviewed the 2025 highway department performance and asset management, including a discussion on digital tools, maintenance cycles, and budget categories. The Election Commissioners presented a new off-cycle election fee policy to standardize costs for non-statewide elections. The Lewis County Snowmobile Association provided a comprehensive report on 2024-2025 crash statistics, safety course participation, and trail funding trends. Several draft resolutions were reviewed and forwarded to the full Board of Legislators, covering the off-cycle election fee schedule, SEQRA reviews for trail additions, and local laws authorizing ATV/OHV operations on specific county roads. Finally, the committee adopted its goals for 2026.

The board issued proclamations for Fair Housing Month and Child Abuse Prevention Month and conducted a public hearing regarding the Lewis County Microenterprise Program. Key discussions included updates on the Launch Lewis County grant program, proposals to reclassify code enforcement roles, the procurement of a new consultant for a rail-trail master plan, and travel authorizations for various departments. Furthermore, the meeting addressed the Youth Bureau's funding trends, nutrition programs for older adults, the health insurance plan's loss ratio, and efforts to modernize county policies. Administrative updates were provided on county grant management, hospital operations, and upcoming financial audit filings.